“Why so serious?” asked the Joker. However, Batman fans were very serious about the most anticipated movie of the year, “The Dark Knight.”

Hardcore fans and movie lovers flocked to see the movie that premiered July 18, the hit that continues to break box office records.

“The Dark Knight,” directed by Christopher Nolan, was a huge success this summer, not only among Batman fans, but also among the general public.

The movie stars Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne and his alter ego Batman; Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent; and Heath Ledger as the Joker.

Ledger brought huge publicity to the movie after his shocking death in January.

Nolan’s darker take on the film makes for a very dramatic and more frightening look at Gotham City and Batman.

Ledger’s role as the Joker, a criminal mastermind who will stop at nothing, is quite eerie, particularly due to his death and his gripping performance that leaves the audience in both fear and laughter.

The Joker’s lip-licking and creepy smile makes him all the more frightening, yet keeps the audience’s attention with dark humor such as a creative and violent magic trick of a disappearing pencil.

The movie follows the Joker and the mayhem he causes in Gotham City and Batman’s attempt to stop the destruction.

The Joker only proves that Batman is what keeps him going, and that he cannot be stopped.

He brings down Harvey Dent and wrecks his life in an attempt to get to Batman and destroy Gotham City.

Bale’s performance as Bruce Wayne is riveting and, alongside Ledger and Eckhart, is the cause of the movie surpassing the hype and expectations from the film publicity, which was apparent in movie sales.

According to the Internet Movie Database Web site, “The Dark Knight” made box office records in its first weekend, making it the biggest three-day opening weekend of all time with $158 million, beating “Spider-Man 3.”

The movie set a new record for the biggest opening day gross at the box office with $66.4 million.

The movie also had the biggest number of opening theaters when it appeared on 4,336 screens, as well as setting a new mark for money earned from midnight showings when it grossed $18.5 million.

There were many interesting quirks regarding “The Dark Knight.”

This was the first Batman movie to ever have a title that doesn’t have “Batman” in it.

The film also has four major scenes that were filmed in IMAX format because Nolan thought it would make it visually fascinating.

The “Batman” theme song is also only heard twice throughout the film, because the composers thought that a heroic theme that could be hummed would only take away from the complexity and darkness of the character.

“The Dark Knight” is perfect for any movie lover and is filled with action, love and incredible acting.

The film is still currently playing in most movie theaters, but not for much longer.